Glendale is gearing up to host back-to-back mega-events, with the Super Bowl in 2023 and the NCAA Final Four in 2024, and hoping the world will get a good look at the growth the city has seen and promoted in its sports and entertainment district.
“There will have been several billion worth of investment there from 2015 to 2024,” Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps said of the entertainment district near 91st and Glendale avenues. “What’s happening now is, the money coming into the district is private money. It took government money to set the table, but now the private sector is driving growth.”
The Westgate Entertainment District is one of the areas of the city driving growth, but the city had also focused on business growth along Loop 303 and is underway on a downtown Glendale reinvestment project that will update the city buildings and properties in the downtown.
- One of the massive new developments underway in the district is the VAI Resort, a 60-acre development that plans to be Arizona’s largest hotel development. That project is expected to cost about $1 billion to build. The resort is centered around a 6-acre swimming pool with a “party island” and concert stage in the water feature. The Mattel Adventure Park is a tenant of the resort, and is underway in its construction, Grant Fisher, president of VAI Global Development, said. The theme park will include rides and games based on Hot Wheels, Thomas the Tank Engine, Barbie, Masters of the Universe and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. The first phases of the resort are planned to open in 2023, and the development team is in talks with musical acts to perform at the concert venue.
- Also in the entertainment district, more than 5,000 apartment units have opened or are under construction in the area. Vision Capital Partners is developing the 198-unit apartment complex called Cardinal 95, which is planned to open in 2023. The developer has also received approval from the city to develop an additional 1,500 units adjacent to the Cardinal 95 project. The project is allowed to reach 15 stories, which would be the tallest buildings in the city except for State Farm Stadium.
- Along Loop 303 and around Luke Air Force Base, millions of square feet of industrial buildings are under construction and planned. The city has annexed more than 4,000 acres into the city to accommodate industrial development in the corridor. If the area were to reach full build-out, it could include about 86 million square feet of buildings.
- The city has plans for a major renovation project to its downtown buildings and properties, including city hall, the council chambers, Murphy Park and the E. Lowell Rogers amphitheater. The plan includes modernizing many of the outdated facilities. The city is still working through plans for some of the design concepts for the buildings.
Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @CorinaVanek.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
